When the United States entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, baseball forged on; President Roosevelt gave the sport the “Green Light” to continue in 1942 as a source of entertainment to boost morale on the homefront. At the same time, players remained eligible to be plucked for military service — all in all, over 500 major leaguers and thousands of minor leaguers joined the war effort. The remaining players were a ragtag bunch consisting of those too old, too young, or otherwise physically unable to fight in the war.
25 Most Surprising Seasons in Yankees History: 1944 Snuffy Stirnweiss
